This is Jake (6).  After dinner a couple of nights ago, I saw good conditions for a leisurely sail in our Minto dinghy.  Little did I know that it would mark a milestone in his maturity. 

I handed him my camera in order to keep him occupied while I rigged it up.

He did a good job, huh?  As I was tying off the halyard, he jumped in the back and grabbed the tiller.  He likes to steer with the spare paddle while I row, so I knew he had a sense of steerage principles.  I asked him if he wanted to try sailing, and he said, “Sure.”

Bam.  The mainsheet in one hand, the tiller in another, a 2 knot breeze and he pointed it straight out of the marina.  I slipped down into the bow and dropped subtle hints and tips but for the most part he wanted silence in order to really study the wind and how his actions affected the boat.

Me: “Where you want to go?”

Jake:  “Whiskey Hill Dock”

Me:  “That’s straight into the wind.  Your going to have to zig zag your way up there.”

On the way back he gave me an uncomfortably close flyby of an awesome Hans Christian that lives here in the bay with us.

He rounded back up in the marina after a fun downwind run and aimed it perfectly back into our slip.  I never touched the controls once.

I’m not sure who was happier, me or him.  Neither of us knew he was ready for such a challenge.  I’ve seen adults over the length of a summer’s sailing course never get the hang of just the tiller concept alone.  His brain was firing off multiple tasks at one time.

People came up from all around the dock and slapped some high 5’s.  We celebrated with hot cocoa.  I was one proud papa.

I call that a rite of passage.  His confidence in himself is built on moments like this.  This was the same joy that I used to get as a mountain guide; seeing people feel good about themselves by accomplishing goals and conquering fears.  Maybe I should considering guiding on the water in the San Juans… Sailing anyone?